KIRA's Return
by Tsuki No Shuurai
Summary: Light is a rising start among the NPA. Involved with the KIRA case and equipped with excellent analytical ability, he is known as Japan's greatest detective.When criminals begin dying again, he will have to face his past--and what he might have been..AU
1. Prolouge

**A/N**

**This is an AU set two years after the arrest of Higuchi, who was presumed to be Kira at the time. Light has not gotten his memories back, and is now an up-and-coming young NPA detective well known for solving several cases both on his own and in partnership with Danuve and Eraldo Coil, a.k.a, L.**

**The only solid pairing in this story will be Matsuda/Sayu, although there **_**might**_** be any one of the following: L/Light, L/OC, Light/OC, L/Kiyomi Takada, Mikami/Kiyomi Takada, Mello/OC, Wedy a.k.a Merrie Kenwood/just about anybody, and Matt/OC. NO PAIRINGS ARE GAURANTEED EXCEPT FOR M/S. **

**Right. On to the story…..**

**Prolouge**

_Two years after the arrest of Kira_

"So," the man said, his dark eyes narrow behind his square glasses. "I have to know the person's name, and their face, you say?"

Ryuk nodded. "Without both, it wont work."

"Hmm," the man mused, flipping through the pages of the notebook. "And I suppose that you do know who the old Kira was?"

Ryuk shrugged. "I knew them, both."

"Ah, yes. The second Kira. I forgot." The man straightened his glasses, his long and spotless fingers curling around the black frames. "And are they now behind bars?"

"That I cant tell you." Ryuk reached for the bowl of fruit on the man's table and selected an apple. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"The man shrugged. "Curiousity." He turned back to the notebook. "This is a gift," he murmured, stroking one of the pages. "A gift the likes of which have not been bestowed on humans in centuries."

Ryuk could barely contain his glee. _So it begins again. _Light had been amusing in his own time, but thanks to that meddling detective, his plan had gone awry and he was back to being a normal and boring human. Granted, he had risen quickly to a high position in the NPA and continued to work closely with all three of the world's greatest detectives, but even so, Ryuk had found Light more amusing when he was Kira. Higuchi hadn't even been all that interesting, and he was 

stupid to boot, but this man….this one sent shivers down Ryuk's back. He was very human, and very frightening. He would be a very suitable toy.

"I shall use this for such good," the man murmured, his hands shaking. "I shall become the voice of reason, of light and of God. Surely that is why this has been sent to me. I shall clean the world of its filth and make it a place of such glory…."

Yes. This one would be interesting. "And how do you mean to do that?"

The man smiled, showing all his very white, even teeth.

"Kira shall return."


	2. Flight Home

**Flight Home**

"Mello," the dark-haired one hissed. "Will you please listen just for a moment?"

The blond crossed his arms. "No. I don't care what you want, all right? You've made it clear who you like and who you don't—"

"I never—"

"—and I see that I'm never going to be made your successor—"

"Mello, that's not true—"

"—and no, I refuse to smooth the way for perfect Near. Let him deal with his problems on his own."

Sayu tried to tune out the argument, turning another page of her magazine. _Just my luck, _she thought. _I can't even sleep, like I'd normally do on a plane. _

She'd been in the States for two months, visiting an old pen-pal of hers in Los Angeles. Despite her difficulties with the English language—not to mention the time difference—Sayu had had a wonderful time. Now, she was headed home to Tokyo, full of stories to tell to her parents and brother. _If Light's even there. Last time I heard, he was in Winchester._

"Mello, this is serious, and I never meant for you and Near to be this competitive."

"Well then, why don't you just pick one of us and get it over with?"

Sayu inwardly rolled her eyes. The two men behind her had been bickering since the plane had lifted off. Giving up on the magazine, she sighed and glanced at the young man seated next to her. He had red hair and goggle-like glasses, and was totally engaged by his Nintendo DS. There was to be no help from that corner.

"Mello, be quiet," the dark-haired one hissed. "You're attracting attention."

The blonde—Mello, what an odd name—responded with a rather rude invitation that attracted several stares up and down the row. Sayu was saved having to hear the rest of what he said by the ringing of her cell phone. She flipped it open, without checking to see who it was, and said, "Hello?"

"Hey Sayu!" came a familiar voice. Sayu winced. Of course, on top of everything else, she was going to have to deal with Misa. When she was younger, she had adored the young model, but since Light had broken up with her earlier that year, she had become a pain, constantly calling Sayu to see if she could possibly mend things between her and Light.

"Sayu, you still there? It's Misa-Misa."

_I know that. _"Oh, hi Misa. How's it going?"

"Oh, all right. Misa just got done filming the movie."

"How did it go? I heard being an actress is even harder than being a model."

"It was okay." Misa paused and said, with a slight tremble in her voice, "Is Light with you, Sayu?"

Sayu winced. "No, I'm on a plane home. I've been in Los Angeles for the last two months. Why?"

"Misa just wanted to say hi, and tell Light-kun that she m-misses him…"

Oh gods. She was getting the sob in her voice again. Between the blonde behind Sayu—whose language was becoming more inventive the longer he went on—and Misa on the phone, she was quite sure that she was going to have an awful headache by the time she landed. "Look, Misa, I have to go, okay? I'll call you when I get home."

"All right," Misa sniffled, and Sayu clicked the phone shut, dropping it to her lap so that she could lightly massage her temples. Before two minutes had passed, her phone was ringing again. This time, she checked the caller ID before answering.

"Sayu, how are you?" Light asked, in his usual crisp way.

"Light! I'm good, actually," Sayu said, in English.

She could hear the smile in her brother's voice. "Your English has gotten better. How was L.A.?"

"Good. What are you up to, Onii-chan?"

"I'm on my way home, actually, from Winchester."

"Did you solve your case, then?"

"Not yet, but I've got a lead."

"_Mello, I told you to be quiet!"_

"Just a minute, brother." Sayu covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand and turned to face the men behind her. "I'm trying to talk to my brother," she said, in English. She was done being polite.

The weird one seemed taken aback. He had messy black hair and sat in an odd, crouching way, He was messily dressed, as well, and his eyes had dark bags under them, as though he hadn't slpt 

in days. He nodded to her. "My apologies," he said quietly. To the blonde, he said, "Mello, this discussion is over."

"Sayu, what's going on?"

"Nothing." Sayu uncovered the mouthpiece. "Just an interruption. You were saying you have a lead?"

"I do."

"In Tokyo?"

"Yes."

"Can I help?"

Light sighed. "No, Sayu. This is serious work, all right?"

"_This discussion is not over! You can't just end it like that because some prissy broad got upset and reamed you!"_

Sayu's blood was boiling. "Excuse me, Light. I've got to go." She clicked the phone shut and turned to face the oddball pair again. "You know, it's very impolite to refer to someone like that in their presence," she informed Mello.

He glared back. "So what?"

"So, I—" Her phone cut her off. Again. She flipped it open and said briskly, "Yes?"

"Oh. Hi Sayu. I think I dialed the wrong number."

_Of course. Matsuda. _"Matsuda, I'm kind of busy right now, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," the young man said, and then tried to backtrack. "I mean, not that I knew you were busy, just….sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt you. Um…goodbye. " Click.

Sayu snapped the phone shut, hoping she wasn't going to be interrupted again. "You were saying, sir?"

The other man put a hand on Mello's shoulder. "He was saying how sorry he was for being rude. Weren't you, Mello?"

Mello scowled, but said nothing. The gamer next to Sayu swore and turned off his handheld as the blond tugged a bar of chocolate from his pocket and began gnawing on it as though it had done something personally to him.

"Matt?" the weirdo inquired. "Could you come over here? Switch seats with me."

Matt sighed. "Yes, Ryuzaki."

_Ryuzaki? He's Japanese? He doesn't look it….but then again, he doesn't look completely European either. _Sayu primly ignored them as the gamer—Matt—went and sat down next to the blonde, who was still fuming so hard that Sayu wouldn't have been surprised to see smoke pouring from his ears. Ryuzaki took the seat next to her. She continued to gaze out the window. Maybe now, if they weren't going to argue, she could get an hour or so of sleep.

She had every intention of doing so, and was in fact dozing off, when Ryuzaki suddenly spoke. "I noticed you speak English. Have you been in the States long?"

Sayu opened her eyes and gave him a suspicious look. "How do you know I'm not American?"

Ryuzaki shrugged. "You have an accent. And I just guessed. I do that."

"Do you? Are your guesses generally right?"

Ryuzaki's lips twitched. "About 95 of the time, yes." He pulled his knee up to his chest, then extended his leg again, looking irritated. "I hate these airline seats," he muttered, squirming. "So, may I ask your name?"

Sayu saw no harm in that. Odd he might be, but the young man seemed trustworthy. "Yagami Sayu. And you?"

"Sato Ryuzaki."

"Are you Japanese then?" Sayu tilted her head to one side. "You have some sort of European accent."

Ryuzaki's expression did not change. "You're a smart girl, Yagami-san. I was born in England, but given my mother's choice of name. She lived somewhere in the Kanto region. I'm not really sure where."

"Oh." Now Sayu understood. "So your father was English?"

"French, actually. Or Italian. I'm not really sure, again. They died when I was very young."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I cant even remember it."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Ryuzaki beckoned the stewardess over. She came, swaying on her high heels.

"Yes, sir? What can I do for you?"

"Could you bring me some coffee or tea, or something, miss? Just something caffeinated."

"Yes, sir. You want sugar and cream with that?"

"Yes, please. Double, if that's all right."

The stewardess hardly blinked. "Coming right up, sir."

The drink was brought, and Ryuzaki took the Styrofoam cup from the woman with intense gratitude. Sayu watched, disbelieving, as he dropped sugar cube after sugar cube into the cup.

"How can you drink that?" she asked, then, realizing he might find this rude, added, "Not to be rude or anything, but I would think it would be too sweet to drink."

Ryuzaki smiled. "You remind me of someone, Sayu Yagami."

"Really?"

"Indeed you do." He leaned back and took a sip of the now-syrupy coffee. "In fact, you could almost be his sister."

Light tapped his watch, impatient. L was late, as usual, and Sayu's flight would be in in 5 minutes. He took another drink of his barely-sweetened tea and flipped open his cell phone, hitting one of the numbers on speed dial.

It rang several times before L picked up. "Hello?"

"L. What's going on? You said you'd be at the airport half an hour ago."

"I know. My flight was delayed. I am sorry to have wasted your precious time."

Light almost smiled, but thought better of it. L would hear it in his voice, and only become more irritating. "I got a lead. Here in Tokyo. There's a hospital we're going to have to visit."

"_You _are going to have to visit it. I'm going to check in somewhere and stay there for the rest of the day. I'm tired."

Translation: L wasn't going to show his face anywhere in the vicinity for at least a week. "No way. You're coming with me."

"I am not." There was a pause. "Look, I'll talk to you later."

Translation: L was probably still on the plane, in which case Light would get neither information nor plans out of him until he landed. "You with someone?"

Another pause. "Yes," L finally said. In the background, a woman laughed.

Light smirked. "I can see that."

Click. Light took the phone from his ear and slipped it back in his pocket. It rang again, and he pulled it out.

"I'll be there in under twenty minutes," L said, quite shortly, and hung up again.

Light smiled and drained his tea. Since becoming part of the NPA, he had solved several cases both on his own and with all three of the top three detectives in the world. Two of them had been international cases, one centered in San Diego, the other in London. He was, possibly, the youngest and most successful agent they had ever had. He had put his success to good use, vowing to use his remarkable talents for justice and good. Being part of and investigated by the Kira investigation had given him an almost rabid sense of justice. _Well, wouldn't anybody? I was imprisoned, chained to L for six weeks, and monitored both before and after my incarceration via surveillance cameras. It was no picnic._

"Flight number 45, coming in for landing," the intercom blared. "Flight number 45."

Light stood and stretched. _I'll just have to take Sayu home and meet up with L later. I'm sure he'll understand._

He strode over to the platform, where Flight number 45's passengers were disembarking. Shouldering his way through the crowd, he spotted Sayu and waved; she waved back and began to wade toward him.

"Light!" She hugged him fiercely. "I'm glad you're back."

Light fended her off with one hand. "Easy," he laughed. "Do you mean to suffocate me?"

Sayu laughed. "Same old Light." She loosened her hold. "I'm so happy to see you, Onii-chan."

Light returned the embrace. "Me too." He glanced over Sayu's shoulder…and saw L, standing in the middle of the crowd, hands in his pockets, looking quite at ease. Beside him stood a tall blonde girl in black leather—who was turned away from Light, so that he could not see her face-- and a shorter man with messy red hair and goggle-like glasses.

"Oh, Light." Sayu turned and beckoned. "This is Sato Ryuzaki. I met him on the plane."

L ambled over, hands in his pockets, and smiled wickedly at Light.

"Hello, Light-kun," he said.

**A/N: A few questions that I thought might need clearing up:**

**No, this is not going to be an L/Sayu. Their relationship will be strictly friendship.**

**Yes, the "blonde girl" is Mello. No, he has not suddenly undergone a gender shift, Light is just a little nearsighted. wicked grin More on that next chapter.**

**Okay. R and R, folks!**


	3. Evidence

**Evidence**

"You know each other?" Sayu sounded confused.

_Sounds being the key word here, _L thought, watching the girl's facial and body language. She was trying to keep her face blank, but the tilt of her head indicated that she was well pleased with herself. _So, more than a pretty face. Perhaps. Maybe I'm just looking for trouble. _Still, the questions she had asked him on the plane—all seemingly casual—were the sort of things that could possibly build up a profile.

_She__** is**__ Light's sister. It isn't paranoia to keep an eye on her._

"Um, I met him once," Light said, giving L a searing look that quite plainly said that he would pay for giving him a hard time. L couldn't help grinning; it was too easy to provoke Light. It was definitely one of the perks of working with the brunette, who could be fussy and irritating.

"Yes. I was part of an exchange program a few years ago. I stayed in Tokyo for awhile, and I got accepted into To-Oh."

"Did you really? I never heard of you."

"I was only there for a semester. I came down with pneumonia and they sent me home," L said. "My health is very…ahh…delicate, so they sent me home."

Sayu pursed her lips. "Oh, that's too bad. Still," she elbowed her brother, "I cant believe Light didn't tell me about you."

"So, Sayu, let's get you home," Light said, the epitome of a good big brother. "Err…Ryuzaki. How long will you be in Tokyo this time?"

L shrugged. "Probably a month or so. I'm here with a few...associates of mine, to meet with the Yotsuba group. We're considering merging."

Sayu raised her eyebrows. "You're a CEO?"

L winced. "No. My guardian—he adopted me when I was three—is the CEO, and he wants me here. I'd rather be in San Diego, but…" he shrugged.

Light rolled his eyes. "You're such a slacker, Ryuzaki. I bet you didn't even finish your business degree when you went home."

"My health is delicate, remember?"

Light snorted. "Not that delicate." He checked his watch. "Come on, Sayu. Ryuzaki, I'll call you later, okay?"

L smirked. _I bet you will. _"Yes, I'll be there any time. See you around."

"Yeah, see you." Light led Sayu away, to go get her passport checked. L let him walk a fair distance away, then beckoned Mello and Matt over. They came quickly, despite Mello's scowl.

"Yes?" he asked tersely.

L gave him a playful push, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "You and Matt go through customs….you'd better come up clean, too…"

"What do you think we are, kids?" Mello snorted.

L ignored this. "Once you get through, Mello, you're to follow the Yagamis, particularly Sayu. _Quietly._"

Mello nodded. "Got you."

"Matt, you come with me. I'll give you orders once we're in the limo."

"Right." Matt tucked his Gameboy into his pocket."Can do."

"Good."

Light waited until he got home to call L. With Soichiro and Sachiko distracted by Sayu, he went upstairs and dialed the number, waiting while the phone rang and rang. He was about to hang up when L picked up, innocently saying, "Yes, hello?"

"Where are you?"

"In the hotel."

Light rolled his eyes. "Look, L, I've got about two seconds to give you this information, so you better be ready."

"I'm ready." L's voice lost it's teasing tone.

"Right. I located another case."

"Where?"

Light named the hospital. "The man was committed by his girlfriend a few days ago. High fever, flu-like symptoms. He fell into a coma yesterday and died at…guess what? Precisely 8:30 AM. An hour and a half later than the last one."

There was the sound of keys tapping. "Ah, yes. Inoue Reiji, 27 years old. Has a history of gambling and was charged once with battery, but got off on a technicality."

"So what do you think?"

"What I've thought from the beginning. _Kira."_

"Come on, L. Higuchi was arrested and—"

"But we never found out how he killed. He refused to speak of it, even when they put the fatal injection in his arm. Besides, I've always believed that the power Kira has is passed from person to person."

Light rolled his eyes. "By that reasoning, I was Kira when you suspected me."

Silence.

"Oh, come on. Not this again. I'm part of the NPA. I cant be Kira."

"Not any more."

Light sighed. "Look, I'll call you again if I find out anything else. Oh, and L?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not—and I never was—Kira."

He hung up before L could respond. Arguing with L was like banging your head repeatedly into a brick wall in hopes that it would fall down.

Totally futile.


	4. Point One

**Point One**

It took Sayu two days to notice that she was being followed.

She could have blamed it on jet lag, but really, it was obvious from the beginning. He might have been dressed in a button-down shirt and jeans instead of leathers, but he was definitely the blond man from the plane. That head of hair, and the characteristic aggressive stance, were enough to identify him even now, out of the corner of her eye and twenty feet away.

She lifted the magazine she was browsing to hide what she was doing and gave him an once-over with her eyes. _He's carrying one pistol and possibly a knife. Doesn't he go anywhere unarmed? _He had a cell phone pressed to his ear, and whatever the person on the other line was saying, it was making him scowl. _Or it could be a ruse, to make me think he's deep in conversation, when he's really watching me._

His voice rose a bit and she heard, "don't care what he…" before he quickly lowered it again. As she set down the magazine, he spat a short goodbye into the receiver and hung up, his eyebrows knit. He caught Sayu looking at him and glared at her before seemingly remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

She took a deep breath. _Well, let's see how this goes. _She smiled brightly and walked over to him.

"Hello," she said.

His eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

She shrugged. "I was only wondering what you're doing here…your name's Mello, isn't it?...I mean, a mall on a Saturday? Aren't there other things you'd rather be doing?"

His scowl deepened. "Maybe I'm shopping."

"You're not carrying any bags," she pointed out. "Unless the chocolate bar in your pocket counts as shopping."

Mello rolled his eyes. "And this is why I never do something like this for L again," he muttered.

"L? You mean the detective?"

The look on Mello's face was priceless. Sayu bit her lip. _Did he really think I wouldn't pick up on that? Sometimes it helps that everybody thinks I'm the stupid one of the family. _"Look, Mel…"

"It's Mello," he gritted out.

"Mello. I don't really care what you're up to. Just don't try to convince me that you're not up to anything."

She walked away before he could respond. _Point one to Sayu, _she thought. _Now I've only got to find out who Ryuzaki __**really **__is._

Mello waited until she was gone before he dialed L's number.

"Yes?" L answered without preamble. "Mello, what's going on?"

Mello looked around. "That girl's smarter than you think, L. She already figured it out."

There was a sigh. "Perhaps if you weren't so…flamboyant…"

"_Listen_, L. You knew I wasn't cut out for covert operations. You should have sent Matt."

"I need Matt here." There was a pause. "Come on back. I'll have to talk to Light about her. I'll be waiting. If you're not back by three this afternoon, I'm going to send Watari out to find you."

_Click._


	5. Intrusion

**Intrusion**

Light closed his laptop and took out his cell phone. It rang several times before L picked up on the other line. _Typically enough. He knows how impatient I can be._

"L. How nice of you to have answered at all," he said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

The voice that answered was unfamiliar. "It's Matt, actually. How may I help you?"

Light frowned. "Where's L?"

"Out. May I take a message?"

Light blinked. _Who is this guy, anyways? _L had mentioned his apprentices before, but it still took Light a few minutes to match the name with a profile. _The hacker. The third wheel._

"What do you mean, out?"

"Out," Matt said shortly. "Could we get on with this please? I've got my game paused, but I'm at level seven and I don't want to lose it."

"Tell me where L is, then."

"I don't know."

"Why doesn't he have his phone on him?"

"He changed phones and gave me this one." There was a crash. It sounded as if a door was being knocked off its hinges, followed by a man's shouts. "Look, I have to go. Mello's back."

_Click._

The doorbell rang.

Sayu sighed and got up off the couch. "I've got it, Mom," she shouted, then headed out to the door. _If it's Misa, I'm going to slam the door in her face. Really! I've been home four days, and she's called me five times and come around __**twice**__. I mean, it's pathetic._

She opened the door and stopped, gaping.

"Ryuzaki?"

Light pulled up the collar of his coat and stepped out into the rain, shivering as cold drops dripped down his neck.

_Out? L never goes out. What's he up to? _Three more victims. All of them had been either suspected of or convicted for crimes varying from robbery to murder. Two had died of heart attacks, one in an accident. _L's right in this. It does look a whole lot like the Kira case. _

"Yagami!" someone shouted. "Yagami-san. Wait a moment."

Light turned. "Yes, Mikami-san? What so you want?"

Even in the rain, Teru Mikami was perfectly groomed, his longish dark hair neatly combed. His gray eyes, behind his square black glasses, were earnest and open. "I got the files you wanted, Yagami-san." He proffered a manila envelope.

Light took it. "Thank you very much, Mikami," he said, turning the envelope over in his hand. "You're very efficient."

Mikami shrugged. "Thank you. It's the least I can do." He hesitated, pushing his glasses back up onto his nose as they slid down. "I do have a question, Yagami-san…if it's not too forward…."

Light shook his head. "No, not at all. As long as we can get out of the rain."

"Certainly." They moved into the shelter of the bus station waiting area. "I happened to notice that most of them had to do with clients of mine."

"Yes."

"Or, more accurately, the people my clients pay me to bring to justice."

"Yes."

"So, my question is, why? If criminals are dying in some sort of killing spree, why should we do anything? Maybe it's a good thing."

Light shook his head. "I know, Mikami-san. I feel the same way sometimes. Still, a murderer is a murderer. Whatever his reasons."

Mikami nodded. "I thought you'd say that. Well." He stood up. "I wish you the best of luck in this case of yours. I'm sure that this killer will not remain hidden for long."

Light smiled, showing all of his very white teeth.

"Oh, he won't, Mikami-san," he said, thinking of L and his persistence on the Higuchi/KIRA case. "He won't."

**A/N: H'lo peoples ******** So here's chapter 5, which is, yes, another placeholder with hints of what's to come. The action/romance/interaction between characters is coming up, so don't get bored. **


	6. An Interlude

**A/N: Hope this chapter isn't too weird when taken in context with the rest of the story. It's important, I promise.**

**An Interlude**

_Three years before_

_Clink. _"Ryuzaki?"

The tapping of the keyboard stops abruptly. "Yes, Light-kun?"

"Do you ever have gaps in your memories? Times when you can't remember what you did or where you were?"

Ryuzaki turns, his dark eyes shrewd and calculating. "No. Why do you ask?"

Light shrugs. "No reason."

"Light-kun shouldn't try to play games with me." A slight smile twists those thin, pale, sugar-rimed lips. "Unlike…others, my intelligence is at least as high as your own. Now, again, why do you ask?"

Light shrugs again.

"Have you ever experienced such things yourself?"

Light shakes his head quickly. "No, not at all. I mean…I'm too young for Alzheimer's, Ryuzaki. And I score the highest in end-of-the-year retention tests at my school. I was just…asking."

Ryuzaki taps a few keys. "Neither have I," he says, and leaves it at that.

_And later, when it's all over and Higuchi has been arrested, Light's memory lapses grow worse, until he parts ways with Ryuzaki and goes back to his own life._

_He'd love to blame L for these odd moments, but later, when they are brought together by a case again, the condition does not relapse. Finally, he settles on sleep deprivation and stress, and tries to forget his forgetfulness._

_And so he cant remember why he never wore anything on his wrist—jewelry, watches—again._


	7. Confluence

**Confluence**

"Mom! Sayu! I'm home," Light called as he came in, carefully closing the door behind him. He took off his shoes and placed them carefully on the coat rack, followed by his jacket. He shivered, thankful for the warmth of the house. _It really is bitter out there, _he thought.

There was no response. Light frowned, and then went to the kitchen.

Sachiko was there, her dark hair in an untidy bun. "Oh, Light, you're home. How was your day?"

Light shrugged. "The usual."

Sachiko correctly interpreted the look on his face. "You can't talk about it, can you?" she asked, sighing.

Light shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Mom. It's all very cloak and dagger, I'm afraid."

"That's too bad."

"It's okay," Light said. "Where's Sayu, anyways?"

Sachiko jerked her chin toward the living room door. "In there, with a guest."

"A guest?" _Please not Misa, not again…. _If Misa was in the house, Light had every intention of beating a hasty retreat. _Geez, that girl never knows when to let go._

"Yes, a guest." Sachiko frowned. "He asked for you, actually."

"He? It's not…."

"No, not Amane-san, though I've no idea why you hardly speak to her anymore. You guys seemed so serious…."

Light cut her off. "Did our mystery guest give a name?"

"Yes. Sato Ryuzaki? Does that sound familiar?"

Inwardly, Light cursed. _Of course. What is L up to, anyways? He should have asked me before just traipsing into my house like he owns it. We're not __**that**__ close, whatever may have happened in the past…._

He abruptly cut off that line of thought. The former KIRA investigation had left him with some memories that he would prefer not to peruse, some memories that, given time, he had convinced himself were false, delusions born of sleep deprivation. Then there were the mysterious lapses of memory, which, somehow, were even more frightening than the haunting spectral ones…

Light shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, I know him," he said.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

Light hesitated. "More of a...acquaintance."

"Someone from work?"

"Sort of. I'll go and see what he wants, then."

Light left the kitchen, opening the door to the living room. Sayu was sitting on the sofa; she looked up when he came in and smiled in a way that was two parts happy younger sister, and one part self-satisfied evil genius. Beside her—his dark hair even messier than usual in its half dried state, sitting in that ridiculous crouching position with his bare feet on the cushion—was L. He looked up too, and gave a small, awkward wave.

"Hey, Light. How are you doing?"

_God, he's actually grinning. Him and Sayu both…._Light bit his lip to restrain himself from saying something biting and sarcastic that would knock them both down a peg, and rearranged his features in a friendly expression.

"_Konbanwa__, _Ryuzaki. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

L shrugged. "Just thought I'd stop by." There was an awkward pause. "It's nice to see you again, Yagami-san."

_What is he up to? _"Please, call me Light," Light said, flopping graceful onto the couch beside the detective. "We're friends, after all." Translation: What the hell are you playing at?

L cocked his head very slightly toward Sayu. Light understood the gesture. L wished to speak to him alone.

Luckily, at that moment, Sachiko called out, "Sayu! Can you come here, please?"

Sayu rolled her eyes. "See you later, Light, Ryuzaki." She got up and walked out of the room.

For a moment, Light and L sat in silence. It was so reminiscent of some of their other meetings that Light had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. L's eyes narrowed.

"May I ask what is so funny, Light-kun?"

Light shook his head. "Nothing, _Ryuzaki," _he said, stressing the alias.

L was still glaring at Light—who had progressed from trying to stifle his amusement to openly smirking—when Sachiko came in with tea. She gave him a quizzical look, and then set the cups and the pot on the knee-high coffee table before walking out.

"So," Light said in English as he sipped his tea. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

L shrugged again as he stirred the tea-flavored syrup in his cup. "Like I said, while I'm in Tokyo, I thought it would be nice if we could see one another face-to-face sometimes. Computers are hackable, you know."

Light rolled his eyes. "That hasn't ever stopped you before."

L glided right over this accusation. "I do have something to discuss with you. It's about the case…well, sort of…." he trailed off, examining the handle of his cup, and then turned a little towards Light. "Is it safe to talk here?" he asked, his lips barely moving.

Light shrugged. "It's not got any cameras in it, if that's what you're asking."

"Hmm. I remember it being almost ridiculously easy to install cameras here."

"Well, you had Dad to help you. And besides, I've grown more adept at detecting them since I started working at the NPA."

"Right." L lowered his voice."It has to do with your sister, Light-kun."

Light narrowed his eyes. "What does Sayu have to do with it?" His lips tugged upwards as he thought of something. "You're not…err…attracted to her, are you?"

For some reason, L's pale cheeks flushed just slightly. It was an interesting effect, almost as though life was flowing into his porcelain skin. "No, Light-kun. I have no interest…not like that…"

Light smiled at the flustered tone of the older detective's voice. "I was only asking, Ryuzaki. It's not a big deal."

L took a deep breath and said, "I think your sister could be useful in this case." When Light said nothing, he quickly went on, "Her deductive skills are at least as good as yours, and I think she may already know more than she should about this case…."

"Out of the question. Mom and Dad don't even want her to marry a detective, much less be one. She's supposed to have her own life. And how could she know anything about the case? I don't tell my family about everything, _Ryuzaki._"

"There's no need to get angry," L said, unperturbed.

"I'm angry for a good reason!"

"Yes, I know. Please, let me explain."

Light shut up. Almost. "Go on then," he said, folding his arms.

L told him about Mello, and about the questions Sayu had asked on the plane. "Mello is not the best of undercover operatives, but he's not stupid either. Sayu seems to have a sense of curiosity, and that could be dangerous should the wrong information fall into her hands. However, if she is already part of the task force, we can keep an eye on her, as well as providing us some much needed help. This Kira…." L swirled a finger in the bottom of his cup, making Light cringe. "He is intelligent, far more so than Higuchi." L turned his eyes on Light. "Almost genius…"

"Oh, god. Not that again. I am not and never was Kira. Is that good enough for you?"

"You're not Kira _now._"

Light ignored this and said, "And the answer is no, non, kein."

"There is no need to reinforce your point by switching languages, Light-kun," L said in flawless Japanese, then back to English. "I thought you might say that. In which case, I was going to ask you if you would do me a favor."

"And what is that?"

"Make sure your sister has _no _access to any information relating to the Kira case that is not available to the public."

"That's easy," Light scoffed. "I've been doing that for ages. But I can check her computer; search her room while she's out…"

"Then by all means, do so." L cocked his head to one side. "But if you do find something…"

Light sighed. "Then I guess I might have to reconsider your offer."

L smirked in the way that Light knew he would, his success plain on his face.

"But," Light added, "I wouldn't feel well about it unless Mom and Dad knew. So _if _I find something, and _if _Sayu agrees, _you _will still have to consult with my parents about it. They only want what's best for their daughter."

"She's a legal adult."

"She still lives at home."

"So do you, obviously."

"That's different. "

"How so?"

"Look, Ryuzaki," Light said, his impatience getting the better of him. "That is my last offer. Take it or leave it."

L stared at him a moment, then sighed. "I suppose it shall have to do."

Light was smirking now, recognizing the signals. "I suppose it shall."

L's phone blipped gently. He tugged it out of his pocket and flipped it open, saying, "Yes?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Yes, I see. Yes…I'll be there as quickly as I can…I did warn you, Roger….Yes, I know. Right, then." He hung up and turned to Light. "I'm sorry, Light-kun, but I have to go. There is a….err…_situation _that I must attend to back at the hotel."

"I understand." Light stood, brushing imaginary dirt off of his slacks. L stood up too, hunched as always. If he had better posture, Light surmised, the dark haired Englishman might even be taller than he was.

For a moment, L just looked at him, and Light found it almost impossible to look away. He swallowed, pushing away the memories that threatened to overwhelm him, and looked right back, into those dark and unnerving eyes.

L was the one who looked away, saying softly, "The day after tomorrow, I will expect you at the hotel for a meeting. He made as if to walk out, and then turned about, saying, "And by then, you will have the information I asked for."

"In one day? That's a little demanding, don't you think?"

L's face was set. "Last time, Kira killed twelve FBI agents and countless jailed and suspected criminals. However much that might have reduced the amount of murderers and rapists in the world, I am convinced that too many innocents lost their lives in this judging. I won't make the same mistake twice, Light-kun. This time, I will catch him _before _he has the chance to kill so many."

And, with that declaration, he left, leaving Light standing there, a thousand unformed thoughts and plans racing through his mind.

**A/N—Reviews are a writer's sustenance, so please remember to review! Thanks to Black-Dranzer-1119, Ulaire, and Dark Oracle for your feedback, and I hope that this chapter is foreshadowing somewhat what is to come. :grin: I still refuse to tell anybody what my pairings are; you'll have to guess for yourselves. :wink:**


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